Family Tree DNA – Terms of Purchase

Cancellations and Refunds

If you cancel the DNA testing you ordered prior to the sample being received at our office, a refund may be issued, typically, minus a handling fee that varies based on the amount of time that has passed since the purchase. If a kit has shipped, there will be a $12.95 deduction for shipping, in addition to:

If canceled within the first year from the initial order, there will be a $15 or 5% deduction from the amount paid, whichever is greater.

If canceled between one year and two years from initial order, there will be a 25% deduction from the amount paid.

If canceled between two and three years from initial order, there will be a 50% deduction from the amount paid.

There will be no refund after three years from the order date.

We will not issue refunds on testing that is in process or completed, including transfers. Once a sample has been sent to our office and checked in, the full cost of the test is absolutely non-refundable.

If a new test is ordered on an existing kit, you will have a 24 hour window to make changes to the new order. After 24 hours, we are unable to change or refund your order, as processing will have already been started.

Delays in testing do not entitle customers to a refund since scientific procedures may be delayed for a variety of reasons. Testing times vary between products and may vary depending on lab volume and biological sample quality. Expected result dates are predictions and not a guarantee of delivery. We do not offer any assurances for specific results.

Please note that you must have internet access to view the results on our interactive website. Some items have downloadable and printable components, but many are designed solely for online interaction. Results will not be mailed, and we will not issue refunds for tests bought under the assumption that the results will be mailed.

Changing an Order

We can change tests ordered on a kit before a sample is returned to our office. Once a test has been checked in, we cannot change the order.

Test Failure Credits

If your testing fails and we do not have any remaining sample in storage, we will mail a new sample kit to the address we have on file. It is the responsibility of the person who orders a test or upgrade to confirm that the mailing address is current at the time of purchase and while the order is being processed. We will not send out a notification that a new collection kit has been sent.

MtDNA and Y-DNA Tests (Sanger and NextGen Sequencing)

If additional samples are not obtainable for tests run on Sanger and NextGen Sequencing (mtDNA Full Sequence, Y-DNA37, Y-DNA67, Y-DNA111, and BIG Y), Family Tree DNA may credit or refund, at its sole discretion, the cost of the test minus a $10 USD shipping and handling fee as well as a 25% lab processing fee for orders greater than $79 USD. We do not offer credits or refunds for products when the retail price of the order was equal to or less than $79 USD. This includes sale pricing.

Family Finder Tests (Microarray Chip Testing)

The Family Finder test uses a microarray chip that is sensitive to the quality of the DNA sample. As a result, our Family Finder testing and refund policy differs from our other tests. We limit Family Finder testing to two attempts. Almost all (98.5%) of Family Finder tests process successfully on the first attempt with a good quality customer swab. Should the first attempt fail, we rerun the test with a second, separate DNA extraction from the secondary sample in our office. If we do not have a secondary sample, a new sample kit will be sent. No refunds will be issued after failed testing if an additional sample is needed and is not obtainable.

The following refund policies apply:

For Family Finder tests purchased prior to the last 12 months or as an upgrade to a kit ordered over 12 months ago, if the secondary sample fails, you will be sent a new set of vials and swabs so that we can perform a new test for free.

For Family Finder tests purchased during the last 12 months, if the secondary sample fails, you will be contacted regarding the possibility of a third testing attempt with a new sample for a $50 US lab fee. The lab fee is charged due to the fact that, for samples that are less than one-year old, the test generally only fails because of the poor quality of the collection.